The Age of the Viper
by DeanGirl2Y5
Summary: The world is controlled by The Viper. The only people that can stop him is the rebel group known as the Corre, but there's a slight problem. Parings Include: Viper/Legend Killer, eventual Miz/Alex Riley, eventual John Cena/Wade Barrett.
1. Backstory

Hey, guys! This story is something that I've been working for a few months and it's been in my head for longer than that. I just wanted to get a few chapters done before actually posting it here. I know I still have some stories on my account that aren't finished, and I'll finish them, trust me.

Just to let you know, the only reason I put John Cena and Wade Barrett down for the characters is because I didn't want to give any spoilers about the identities of The Viper and The Legend Killer. Also, my first idea for this story was going to be a Viva La Vida type story, but it eventually..._evolved_, I guess you could say, into this.

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I don't own WWE, TNA, or the talent that works for either company. I only own the idea for this story and Azrael Victoria.

Enjoy!

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><p>The world was split into two countries. One to the north and the other to the south. The one to the south was called TNA. It was jointly ruled by Queen Dixie Carter, King Hulk Hogan, and King Eric Bischoff since its founding. The army &amp; the bodyguards that protected both the country and the Kings and Queen were called Immortal. Immortal was lead by Abyss. He was sometimes called "The Monster."<p>

The one to the north was called WWE. It was ruled by the McMahon family since its founding. The army that protected the WWE went through many name changes. First it was called the Horsemen. A few years later, it was called D-Generation X. A few years after that, it was called Evolution. Later on, it went back to being called D-Generation X. Soon, it became known as the Chain Gang. The Chain Gang was lead by Commander John Cena.

The first incarnation of the Chain Gang was lead by Captain Ric Flair. The next three incarnations were lead by Sargent Hunter Hurst Helmsley, or Sarge Triple H. The current King of WWE was named Vincent Kennedy McMahon. He had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy's name was Shane. The girl's was Stephanie. Stephanie was married to Triple H. The bodyguards that protected the royal family were called the Nexus. The Nexus was lead by Wade Barrett.

Both kingdoms had one thing in common: they entertained their people the same way. Every single member of Immortal, the Chain Gang, and, eventually, the Nexus was part of the roster. WWE had four shows (RAW, NXT, WWE Superstars, & SmackDown) and TNA only had one (IMPACT Wrestling). TNA & WWE never went to war with each other...until the WWE royal family and Triple H died.

The day it happened was a quiet one. No one knew it happened until a servant boy found their bodies. Each of them were stabbed multiple times, but the king and Triple H were stabbed the most. Soon, a man took over the kingdom. He called himself The Viper.

He put the Nexus in charge of the investigation, but six members of the group believed The Viper had something to do with their deaths. Their names were Wade Barret, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Alex Riley, and Azrael Victoria. The whole group reported their findings to The Viper (Wade, Justin, Heath, Alex, and Azrael held back information). A couple weeks later, he told both the Nexus and the Chain Gang that he believed that TNA was responsible for the death of the McMahons and Triple H. He then told them to get ready to avenge the royal family's deaths. In the weeks leading up to the invasion, Wade, Justin, Heath, Alex, and Azrael disappeared from the country.

Meanwhile, in TNA, four members of Immortal disappeared around the same time as the six Nexus members. Their names were AJ Styles, Robert Roode, "Cowboy" James Storm, and Frankie Kazarian, or Kaz for short. Eventually, WWE's invasion of TNA began. Almost a year after the invasion began, a rebellion rose up. The group went by two different names. In WWE, they were called The Corre.

In TNA, they were called Fortune. Eventually, they became known as The Fortune Corre. They were lead by a man who called himself The Phenomenal One and a woman who called herself The Legend Killer, paying homage to both the missing Immortal soldier AJ Styles of TNA and missing Nexus bodyguard Randy Orton of WWE. On the first anniversary of the invasion, TNA fell to The Viper. He then turned his snake eyes to The Fortune Corre. A few weeks after TNA fell, four of the members of the group were captured. Those four people turned out to be the members of Immortal that went missing the year before.

Now, there were only seven and called The Corre. The Chain Gang was finding them every time. The Legend Killer picked her second-in-command in case she was ever captured during the Chain Gang's raids on their camp. Commander Cena kept telling her that there was a spy in the group, but The Legend Killer's second-in-command kept telling her that it was a trap set up by The Viper to lure them to his castle.

A few weeks after Commander Cena told her that information, she received a letter from The Viper, saying that he was looking for Azrael Victoria, the member of Nexus that had gone missing a year prior. He wanted some information on where the girl was. He promised that neither the Chain Gang or the Nexus would attack The Legend Killer when she walked through the front gates. She read the letter to The Corre and they told her not to go. Her second-in-command, codenamed The Bare-Knuckle Brawler, said that it might be a trap.

What none of the members of the group knew was that The Legend Killer was also looking for a member of Nexus that went missing when The Viper came to power. There were two letters in that envelope (both from The Viper), but only The Legend Killer could see the second letter. It said that he had information about where that Nexus member was...


	2. Meetings, Arrests, and Plans

**Nighttime**

A figure dressed in black ran silently through the streets, a cloak billowing behind her. A few minutes later, the figure paused at the gates. Before she could knock, the gates squeaked open. The figure looked left, right, and behind her before dashing through the gates. They shut loudly behind her. She didn't even flinch as she ran, stopping only at the door.

Two guards were standing on each side of the door, wearing black metal armor, but no helmets. The one on the left had short light brown hair, ocean blue eyes, and a light brown mustache and beard. The one on the right had brown hair cut military style, semi-tanned skin, and blue eyes. The man on the right walked right next to the figure and motioned for the remaining man to open the door, which he did.

The soldier and the figure walked through the door, staying silent until the door was shut behind them.

"You believed me," the soldier stated. There was no doubt that it wasn't a question.

"I don't. I'm just here to get answers," the figure stated.

"I know that you will believe me. After you see _him."_ She noticed the emphasis the soldier put on _him._

She cast a glance at the man guiding her to a place she knew how to get to already. "It sounds like you don't like him."

"I _do _like him. Even if you don't like him, you do have to _respect _him."

"Do you?"

He nodded. "I always have."

"What is his real name?"

There was a slight pause, but then he said, "I can't tell you that."

"You don't know, do you? Even though you talk to him right before he sends you to do a mission, you don't know who he is."

He said nothing to disprove her statement. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, even when they passed through the doors that led to an elaborate, but dark, throne room. The only occupant of this room was a figure dressed in blacks and reds. His hair was covered by a hood, just like the woman's was. The thing that stood out the most on the figure were his eyes. They were the same type of eyes a snake has except they were blood red.

The figure's eyes instantly locked on the woman. "Leave us, Commander. Make sure no members of Nexus or even the Chain Gang enter this room until I say so. Is that understood, Cena?" a dark male voice ordered. It sounded disguised. The woman knew that this voice belonged to the figure sitting on the throne.

Commander Cena bowed and said, "It's understood, sir." Then he left the room. Neither the figure or the woman moved a muscle until Cena shut the door behind him.

The snake-eyed man motioned for the woman to come closer. She did not.

"You don't trust me." It wasn't a question.

"How could I trust you? You murdered the _real _king of WWE along with his family," she stated coldly. "You could easily kill me as well."

"If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead long before the front gates opened, but I did promise that neither the Nexus or the Chain Gang would attack you and I intend to keep that promise, Legend Killer."

The Legend Killer sighed. He did promise her that in the letter he sent. She walked closer to the snake-eyed man. "You said that you have information I need, Viper."

"I do."

"Then, tell me where he is."

"As soon as you tell me where she is."

The leader of the Corre crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do you need to know where she is?"

"Why do you need to know where he is?" he asked, copying her question.

She said nothing for a few minutes. Then, "I just want to know if he's alright." The statement came out unwillingly.

The Viper just looked at her. She mentally berated herself for saying that to the man. He then stood up and walked toward her. As soon as he was close enough to her, he put his index finger underneath her chin and pushed it up towards his face, forcing the Legend Killer to look directly into the Viper's snake-like gaze. She looked down, unwilling to make eye contact with those eyes.

"Look at me," he said gently, and she did without hesitation. As soon as she looked into his eyes, she saw they weren't snake-like anymore. They were a familiar shade of blue-gray. The change startled the normally-calm Legend Killer. She then felt her hood being taken off, her blond-streaked brunette hair revealing itself.

The Viper removed his finger from her chin, his eyes back to their snake-like form. He turned and walked back toward his throne as he called, "Cena! Bryan!"

Cena and the man that was guarding the front door with him entered the room just as the Viper sat back down on his throne.

"Yes, my king?" Bryan asked.

"Cuff her and take her to the dungeons," the Viper ordered. Ryan bowed and proceeded to cuff the Corre leader.

The Legend Killer had a shocked expression on her face for a second, but it then changed to one of anger as she slipped out of Bryan's reach. She then clotheslined the man twice and powerslammed him after the second clothesline. She then spit in the Viper's direction. "I should have known not to trust you, you fucking snake! You don't know where he is! You just wanted to arrest me!" she hissed angrily. She then felt something in the side of her leg. Suddenly, she felt woozy. A few seconds later, she fell, but someone caught her before she hit the ground. "I trusted you," she said faintly and then her world fainted to black.

Cena, the one who caught her, lifted her up. He then looked over at the Viper. "What now?" he asked.

The Viper thought for a moment, then he stated, "Still take her to the dungeons. Then come back here."

The Chain Gang Commander nodded and started to walk toward the door. Before he exited the room, he turned back toward the snake-eyed man and asked, "You going to be okay?" He had a concerned expression on his face.

The Viper's face remained emotionless. "Yeah. Make sure you take Bryan out of here before he wakes up."

Cena nodded and exited the room.

As soon as the Viper heard Cena's footsteps recede into the distance, he removed the hood from his head, revealing his extremely short brunette hair and scruff. He changed his eyes to his normal blue-gray and he smirked. He had searched for a year for his true queen. He had done all this for her, but she had run away. Now, she was back.

Wade Barrett, however, had not been found. The only one who knew where he was was going to be waking up in the dungeon. She wouldn't reveal the information without forcing it out of her, but he wasn't willing to do that. He did not want to hurt her, no. He never did. He had to force Nexus to not attack her. The Chain Gang wasn't a problem. The soldiers feared her, something he liked out of the Legend Killer.

Suddenly, an idea of how to get Barrett's location from her sprang into his mind. A smile curled on his lips. He knew exactly how to change the Legend Killer from being a member of Corre to helping him, the Viper, and becoming what he believed she was meant to be.


	3. Actions speak louder than words do

**A While Later**

_SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!_

"Wakey, wakey! It's time to wake up, Legend Killer!" a male voice stated, still slapping someone.

She realized the man was slapping her. So she attempted to grab his hand, but a clanking sound made her completely open her eyes, waking up the Corre leader. This caused the man standing in front of her to stop slapping her. He had short black hair, brown eyes, a thin black mustache and beard, and mocha skin. He was wearing the same black armor both Cena & Bryan were wearing. He had a tray in his left hand.

He smirked at the woman as he knelt down to her level. He placed the tray on the ground, took the key ring out of his armor, and unlocked one of the chains holding the Legend Killer to the wall. He set the key ring down on the floor and started punching her.

The Legend Killer tried to reach out to grab his hands with her free hand, but the man moved out of her reach, smirking wider as he did so. She continued trying to reach for the soldier, but it was no use and stopped trying to grab his hands. As soon as her hand was lowered, the man continued to beat her up, calling her every name in the book.

"OTUNGA!" a familiar voice shouted, causing the soldier to freeze in place. The Legend Killer looked up and made eye contact with Cena. The Commander's eyes were like ice and his arms were crossed over his chest.

The soldier, Otunga, quickly stood up and saluted Cena. "Sir! I was just giving her food, sir," he stated as he lowered his arm.

Cena walked into the Legend Killer's cell, stopping a few inches away from Otunga and held his hand out. Otunga handed him the key ring.

"Go upstairs and wait for me, NOW," Cena said dangerously, glaring down at the soldier.

Otunga quickly marched out of the cell. As soon as Otunga's footsteps faded in the distance, Cena knelt down and unlocked the other chain. The Legend Killer rubbed her wrists with her hands. She then looked up at her...rescuer.

"I didn't need your help, you know. I know how to take care of myself, Cena," she stated.

Cena's eyes softened. "It didn't look that way to me," he told her.

"...Thanks."

Cena said nothing as he put the key ring into his armor. She looked at the tray and saw three chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and butter on top. There was also three pieces of sausage. For silverware, there was a plastic fork and a plastic knife. In a medium plastic cup, there was milk.

"This doesn't look like prison food," she said.

"That sounds like you're complaining."

"I'm not. I'm just stating a fact." She looked at it warily.

"If it was poisoned, you would have died the moment you smelled it."

She quickly looked up at him. "He would've ordered the cooks to use the Angel, wouldn't he?"

Cena nodded. "He didn't, trust me."

The Angel was a poison that people said the Viper created. It was said to be put in food and, as soon as the victim inhaled it, he would've died right there on the spot. The official autopsy would state that the victim died of a heart attack, it was that undetectable. She then started eating the food, slowly to savor each morsel as if it was her last meal. She guessed that the Viper was going to kill her like he did Triple H and the McMahons.

She then drank the milk slowly, placing the cup back down on the tray when she was finished drinking. Cena picked up the tray, not saying another word as he walked out of her cell and closed the door and locked it behind him. The Legend Killer stood up and, after noticing that the chain on her left ankle was long enough for her to go to the door, walked toward Cena and clasped her hands on the bars, asking the commander, "You actually trust me enough to leave the chains off my hands?"

Cena turned his head toward the Legend Killer, simply stating, "Those are his orders. Besides, you can't escape, you know that, Azrael."

Her stomach flip-flopped. "How—?" she started to ask.

The Chain Gang Commander just turned away and walked away from her cell. Azrael Victoria stared after him, a confused expression on her face.

*~*~*~*\_o_/*~*~*~*

Cena walked up the stairs. He wasn't willing to give her the answers she wanted just yet. He spotted Otunga waiting for him at the top of the stairs like he told him to. The man's back was a bit curved, making him look relaxed, but Cena could tell he was anxious.

"Otunga!" Cena stated.

The soldier quickly stood erect, taking away his relaxed look, but Cena stared right into his brown eyes and saw his anxiousness and nervousness.

"Follow me," the commander ordered.

"Yes, sir," Otunga replied, and they started walking, Cena in front and Otunga tailing behind. They passed by other members of the Chain Gang. The pair stopped in front of Bryan, who was standing next to the entrance to the throne room that used to belong to the McMahons. The SmackDown Mr. Money in the Bank winner stood up straighter, making him look taller than his actual 5' 10'' height.

"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Cena inquired.

"As well as I could be, sir," Daniel Bryan answered.

Cena nodded. Otunga, on the other hand, didn't say a word. There was no love lost between the two men. Some people thought maybe it was because Bryan found more success as a singles competitor than Otunga, winning the United States Championship from The Miz.

Cena knocked on the door.

"Enter!" the Viper's voice stated.

They did. Cena noticed the Viper had his face in his hands. He decided to let Otunga walk in front of him, deciding to close the door behind them. As soon as he did, the man on the throne lifted his head. Cena quickly walked back to his place.

"What do I owe this pleasure of your visit, Cena?" the Viper asked as he looked away from the men standing in front of him and stroked his chin, each word oozing annoyance. The Cenation Commander-in-Chief guessed it was probably because he brought Otunga with him.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but Otunga was attacking the Legend Killer," Cena told him.

The Viper froze and slowly turned to face the Commander and Otunga, glaring at the younger soldier. "David," he said, his voice sounding sweet as honey, but Cena knew that tone of voice from the Viper was dangerous. The commander cast a glance at David Otunga and saw that his facial expression was one of relief.

"Yes, my King?" he asked.

The Viper stood up and walked toward the men in a very dangerous way. As soon as he was inches away from Otunga, he asked him, "Did you truly _enjoy _what you did to the Legend Killer?"

Cena could tell the question was double sided. If Otunga said no, he would just be sentenced to the second level of the dungeons (the worst was the fourth. Azrael was on the first). If he said yes, well...that all depended on what the voices in the Viper's head decided.

Immediately, Cena heard Otunga state, "Yes, I did."

The Viper didn't even blink or stiffen. He closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them again, a smirk on his lips. He walked back over to his throne and pressed a button. A few seconds later, a man with shaggy brunette hair, mustache and beard combo, and blue eyes walked in and bowed to the Viper. He was wearing a Cactus Jack shirt and a red and black checkered short sleeved shirt.

"You called for me, Your Majesty?" the man inquired.

"...Yes, I did, Mick. I have an idea for a match for this Friday night on SmackDown," the Viper answered.

Mick looked shocked. "But, Majesty, you said that I'd be able to pick the matches for that night. Especially since it's the Christmas episode of SmackDown."

The Viper whirled around. "Consider it a Christmas present for me!"

Mick nodded reluctantly and stated, "What match do you want me to add to the card?"

The Viper walked over to the legend and whispered the match he wanted in the older man's ear.

Mick looked shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes of course I'm sure! Now be sure that match happens or else I'll change my mind about letting you take over SmackDown for the night! I'll find someone else to take your spot, someone who's willing to do _exactly _what I ask. Is that understood, Foley?"

Mick said nothing.

"I said, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Mick Foley then walked out of the throne room.

As soon as he left, the Viper yelled, "Henry!"

Suddenly, the doors opened again and in stepped a large African-American man. The fans of the WWE and people that feared the Chain Gang Army called him the World's Strongest Man.

"You called for me, Highness?" Henry asked after bowing to the Viper.

"Take Otunga out of my sight. Take him to the fourth level until tomorrow night. I'm assigning you as his escort until SmackDown starts this Friday night." The Viper then turned away from Henry, Cena, and Otunga.

"Yes, sir."

Otunga then became very afraid.

"I didn't do anything! Please! Don't take me there! Anywhere but there!" Otunga cried out. He turned the Viper around as he spoke, which was the wrong thing to do.

The Viper then grabbed Otunga's head and placed it between his biceps, jumped, and planted the soldier with a jumping cutter that looked very familiar to the two men watching the spectacle. The Viper sat up and turned around, stopping when he looked like he was on all fours, but his right arm was up, and glaring at the now unconscious Otunga. Henry picked Otunga up and carried him out of the room. The Viper kept his cold eyes locked on Otunga until the door closed behind the two men. He then stood up and pulled his hood off, running his hands through his hair again.

Cena let him do that until the Viper's snake eyes were his normal ones. As soon as the man was calmed down, Cena asked, "What match did you put him in?"

The Viper turned away from him. "What match I put that bastard in _or _what's gonna happen to him on Friday night is none of your concern, Cena. Your only concern is how we're going to get answers out of the Legend Killer," he answered.

"How are we going to do that?"

The Viper said nothing for a few minutes. Then, "She said she's looking for someone. So, on both Monday & Friday nights, we let her watch both Raw & SmackDown live in the arena. I want her sitting disguised in the front row and you sitting beside her also disguised. How the two of you are disguised I'll leave to you. I'll pick where you're sitting."

"I—I'm not sure I understand this, Majesty."

"You don't need to understand _why _I ordered this. You just need to understand what I asked you to do. Is that understood, Cena?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, go!"

Cena bowed and left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind the commander, the Viper walked toward the wall next to his throne and punched it, making a dent the size of his fist in the wall. Otunga just had to go and ruin his original plan, but luckily plans could be changed. Unfortunately for Otunga, he wouldn't be able to make it to next Monday if his secret weapon had anything to say about it. He'd been so careful to keep who he really was a secret, but Otunga had forced him to perform one of the moves from his arsenal. Just like the Legend Killer had done earlier...

His thoughts progressed to later on that night and what would happen if the Legend Killer saw the man she asked the Viper about walked down that ramp a few inches away from her. He smirked. Then he pressed a different button on his throne. The throne slid to the right, revealing a doorway. The Viper raised his hood and entered through the doorway into a locker room. This passageway was hidden behind his locker.

There was a door on the opposite side of his locker that lead to gorilla position. The passageway that lead to his throne room was built after the war against TNA. The Viper took off his cloak, hung it on the hook, grabbed two "Reserved" stickers, and exited through the other door as the passageway that lead to his throne room closed. He then walked thorough the curtain and walked down the ramp, glancing around the empty arena. It was all set for Raw that night.

He knew that every single member of the Corre was going to come back again. It was a law that was made by Vince McMahon's father when he was king of WWE and TNA followed suit when they were created: Every single time there's a war between the countries, soldiers from both countries have to return when they're scheduled to wrestle. It was mandatory. As to Randy Orton's whereabouts, no one, except for the Viper, knew where he was. He just came when he was scheduled to compete.

No one asked him where he was when he showed up. He was going to show up tonight. He was scheduled to fight against United States Champion Dolph Ziggler. The one that put Ziggler in the match was the Viper because the US Champion pissed him off. Just thinking about the man made the Viper clench his fists as he jumped over the barricade.

He walked past each chair in the front row, wondering where to place Cena and the Legend Killer. Suddenly, he decided that they would sit in the first corner on the right side of the ramp. He stuck the stickers on the back of the two seats closest to that corner. He then jumped back over the barricade, bumping into someone. He grasped the barricade as he glanced up and met the blue eyes of the bleached-blond US Champion Dolph Ziggler. Standing next to him was his manager Vickie Guerrero.

The Viper glared at the pair. He didn't want to have a confrontation three whole hours before Raw was supposed to start. Whoever was up there didn't support his plans at all today.

Ziggler glared back at the Viper. He wasn't wearing his Chain Gang armor. What the self-proclaimed Show-Off was wearing was his black "I Am Perfection" t-shirt and a pair of jeans, the title belt on his shoulder and his right hand clasping it tightly like he was afraid to lose it. "Well, well, well. Here a little early, aren't we?" he asked the Viper. He glanced behind the older man and saw the reserved stickers on the two steel chairs.

"I was getting ready for our match tonight, Ziggler. Now, if you and your mother will excuse me, I need to go," the Viper said coldly. He then bumped past both the Show-Off and Guerrero and walked back up the ramp, leaving the pair red-faced with anger. When he was backstage in gorilla position again, the Viper smirked. Getting under someone's skin was something that always pleased him. He then walked into his locker room again, grabbed and put on his cloak, opened the passageway, and slithered back into his throne room, waiting for his plan to be put into action.


	4. This could be the last chance before we

This was a hard one to do since I didn't know where to end it. This whole chapter was 7 pages in my word processor. Then again, there is a match and a segment. This takes place on the Monday Night RAW before SmackDown's Christmas episode. The last chapter took place on that day too, but it was earlier in the day.

Full Chapter Title: **This could be the last chance before we die**

Disclaimer: see _Backstory _for it.

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><p>It was nighttime. She wasn't sure what time. She had only seen Cena once after what happened with Otunga when he brought her lunch. She had only heard one sound since she decided to keep silent for the rest of the day: a loud scream that seemed to come from three floors below her. Since then, she had heard nothing from that person.<p>

Just then, she heard the door unlock. Azrael quickly lifted her blond-streaked brunette head and saw Cena carrying a tray that held her dinner. He also had a bag slung on his shoulder. What was in that bag she had no idea. Cena was wearing his whole John Cena ensemble. He placed the tray down in front of her. Her dinner was macaroni and cheese covered in tomato sauce, broccoli, and french fries with ketchup. Like at breakfast, there was plastic utensils. To drink, there was a medium plastic cup filled with diet cherry Dr. Pepper.

She ate the food and drank the diet cherry soda slowly, pondering Cena's appearance.

Cena, noticing her expression, stated, "It's Monday, 8:28 pm. They're going to have the dark match in a few minutes."

She nodded. It made sense since she came back to the castle on Sunday night. So she'd been here for almost 24 hours at 9:00. As soon as she finished, Cena moved the tray and handed her the bag.

Azrael looked down at the bag, then back up at Cena, her eyebrow raised like Cena's WrestleMania XXVIII opponent.

"He wants you to come to Raw tonight and for me to sit by you, and I will, after I talk to Piper."

She raised her both her eyebrows. "Roddy Piper's coming tonight?" she asked.

He nodded. "He wants to have me on Piper's Pit right at the beginning of the show. Your disguise is in that bag."

"Why do I need a disguise?"

"As far as everyone that's going to enter that arena tonight is concerned, you are the Legend Killer, the leader of the group that's fighting against the Viper. They wouldn't hesitate to report you to him, even though the only time the five of you have come back is for the shows. They don't think you care about them."

The Legend Killer quickly stood up and made eye contact with the commander, her eyes giving a passionate look that didn't seem to show before. "I _do _care about them, so does the rest of the group despite what people have seen. We always have."

Cena kept eye contact with her as he knelt down to unlock the chain holding her to the room. Azrael bent down, still fuming as she pulled the clothes out of the bag. She calmed down as soon as she saw Randy Orton's newest shirt, a pair of short-shorts, high heel black boots, a Randy Orton necklace, John Cena wristbands, a digital watch, and a Miz hat. She put her long hair into a ponytail as Cena left the room, letting her have her privacy. She pulled her clothes off and put the new ones on, lastly putting on the necklace.

"Ready?" Cena asked, looking in at her.

She walked toward him and nodded. The pair walked up the stairs, leaving the dungeon for at least three hours.

*~*~*~*\_o_/*~*~*~*

Azrael was sitting in her seat, trying to ignore the looks people gave her. Earlier, someone had tried to sit in Cena's seat, but she had to point out the Reserved sticker and they sat in the seat on the left of Cena's seat. Then, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's theme went off and the people around her went wild. She did too.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper!" Justin Roberts announced as the Scotsman walked down to the ring and entered, mic in hand. There were some "Roddy" chants as his music faded.

"You guys," he started, "your cheers, are the source of my energy. When you were booing me, it made me feel bad. So I did some really rotten things. But the fact of the matter is that it's you, the fans, that make me go to work." The whole crowd, along with Azrael, cheered loudly and held up their homemade signs. "But," he continued, "there is someone who thinks that this energy from you doesn't matter—John Cena!"

As soon as Cena's music hit, the crowd was torn between boos and cheers. Azrael cheered as Cena ran past her and slid into the ring. She kept her eyes on him as he got a mic. "You're lying, Roddy. I do care about these guys. This company means everything to me," he stated.

"You know what? Let's play word association with them and see what they think about Stone Cold Steve Austin."

Both Azrael and the crowd cheered loudly for the Texas Rattlesnake.

"What about Bret Hart?"

More cheers.

"The Rock?"

They cheered loudly for the People's Champion.

"Okay. Now how about John Cena?"

Half of the crowd booed. The other half either cheered or loudly chanted, "CENA! CENA! CENA!" Azrael was chanting the commander's name.

"That sounds pretty good, but I know what you're trying to do," Cena stated.

"You know, they were calling to The Rock to Rock Bottom you, and he did, they came unglued," Piper told the younger man.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, I've been dealing with it firsthand, but there's a group of people who know who I am and what I represent, so I'm loyal to them. Still, I acknowledge that there are those who buy a ticket to tell me I suck. The beauty of the WWE Universe is that they, as fans, can do what they want."

"That doesn't change the fact that you don't care. You are the face of this company. You're the man."

The half of the crowd that was booing Cena before was booing louder and louder.

"If you don't start saying to them what you really think, you'll be the loser in the biggest WrestleMania match in history," Piper added.

"There have been numerous times in my career where I've been hated by the fans. Money in the Bank for one. The Rock has had one great night." He then looked out at the crowd. Then he said, "See those two kids wearing my gear? You see those guys wearing military gear? That's why I do what I do. My shirt says, 'Rise Above Hate.' This is what I have to do, that's the example I have to set. I know I'll beat The Rock at WrestleMania."

"I came all this way to do Piper's Pit because I'm proud of you, Cena. My generation is proud of what you're doing. Everyday you're setting a great example as a role model, but there's so much energy to tap into that you haven't realized yet. You're a future Hall of Famer." Piper took his Hall of Fame ring and handed it to Cena.

Cena looked at it for a few minutes, then he said, "Thanks, but I'm in a good place."

Piper then slapped Cena. "Feel the energy!"

Azrael noticed that Cena's fist was shaking, but he resisted and handed Piper his ring back. Then he exited the ring. She stared after him until she heard a noise and looked up at the titantron and watched the footage that was rolling. It was about Miz and R-Truth, both friends of hers when she was part of Nexus. She remembered that they were a tag team until they broke up the week before. Then it showed John Morrison talking in the back to Alex Riley. The Shaman of Sexy was in his ring gear. It would be good to actually see him again, but her mind wandered to why the Viper wanted her to be here in the first place.

*~*~*~*\_o_/*~*~*~*

Cena came out again, this time to sit with her, during Morrison's Falls Count Anywhere match against Miz. Neither Azrael nor Cena talked about what happened between him and Piper during the Bellas' match against Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox. They stood in comfortable silence even during the John Laurinaitis, Otunga (she clenched her fists at the sight of the lawyer, a fact that Cena took note of), WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio, and CM Punk segment.

After the segment was over, Wade Barrett's theme played and she froze as the ebony haired Brit walked down the ramp. He didn't seem to be wondering where she was, a fact that made the blond-streaked brunette look down at her feet with a sad expression on her face. Barrett continued to walk down to commentary.

Azrael kept looking down at her feet even as Vickie Guerrero tried to get everyone to pay attention to her boyfriend, the US Champion Dolph Ziggler. She stayed looking down as his theme played.

"_**I hear voices in my head. They council me. They understand. They talk to me."**_

That song had her head shooting up like a light. She got closer to the barricade and leaned over it to get a better look to see if it really was who she thought it was as the lights on all the 'trons flashed. A man emerged from the back, the camera guy on his left side.

"Introducing his opponent. From St. Louis, MO. Weighing in at 235 pounds. He's the WWE's Apex Predator, Randy Orton!" Justin Roberts announced, causing the good kind of chills to go up and down both Azrael's spine and arms.

He did his pose at the top of the ramp and then walked down it as the music continued, purposely going slow. Azrael kept her eyes on him, unaware of the cheers that were for him. She slowly made herself stand straight as he got closer to where she was. When he got to where she was, he paused and glared at the US Champion, giving Azrael the chance to see how much her best friend had changed. He had a scruff that was the same shade as his hair. He still had all those tattoos, even the one that had his wife's name on it. She memorized every curve, every shade, every tattoo, and his facial features that she could before he started walking toward the ring again.

She thanked Cena that her boots made her at least a few inches taller so that she could see over the other people's heads as he walked up the stairs and entered the ring. He then locked eyes with Ziggler before going over to the turnbuckle and Ortoned, making the crowd go nuts, Azrael cheering the loudest.

*~*~*~*\_o_/*~*~*~*

A while later, Randy was exchanging punches with Ziggler. Randy hit a couple of clotheslines followed by his signature scoop slam, just like the one Azrael did the night before on Bryan. Randy went to set Ziggler up for the Viper DDT and connected. Randy dropped down to the mat and began pounding. Azrael was doing it at the same time as Randy, only unconsciously on the barricade (Cena was watching her do it, but she didn't realize it).

Unfortunately, Ziggler got up to his feet and slid out of the ring to avoid the RKO. Just then, Barrett distracted Randy. Ziggler took advantage and covered Randy for the pin.

"1...2...3!" the ref counted and motioned for the bell to sound, ending the match and Ziggler's theme to play.

"Here is your winner, the United States Champion, Dolph Ziggler!" Vickie announced. Ziggler then did a handstand and shouted, "How damn good am I?"

Azrael clenched her fists and was about to jump over the barricade when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't do it," Cena's voice whispered in her ear.

"But he—" Azrael started.

"I know, but don't."

The Legend Killer stomped her foot like a child and crossed her arms over her chest, watching as both Ziggler and Vickie walked past her. She sent them a cold look, a look that could only be matched by Randy Orton himself. Barrett passed by her as well. She sent him her cold look as he smirked at Randy. A few minutes later, Randy walked past her and Cena, a look of pure anger on his face. Seeing him calmed her down, but that anger from before was still boiling inside her. Before Cena could stop her, Azrael whispered, "Randy."

The man known as WWE's Apex Predator looked at her out of the corner of his blue-gray eyes. She wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but she didn't. He calmed down somewhat, but only those closest to him, like Azrael, could see that. The fans and other people thought that he was still as angry as he was before, but he wasn't. He smiled then walked up the ramp to the back, away from her.

*~*~*~*\_o_/*~*~*~*

To say that the Viper was pissed would be regarded as the understatement of the year. There wasn't even a word to describe how angry the man was at Wade Barrett. That feeling of calmness he had when he looked in Azrael's eyes when he was walking back up the ramp to his locker room was gone. He quickly took a shower and changed his clothes. Then he quickly ran toward where he knew the Brit's locker room would be and bashed the door open. The man hadn't even gotten changed yet, but he glanced at the sight of the very pissed off Viper and stopped what he was doing.

"What's the matter, Orton? Show-off got your goat?" Barrett asked cockily.

The Viper punched the ebony haired wrestler in the face. "You got yourself involved in my match, you son of a bitch!" he shouted angrily. All he could see was red.

Just then, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Alex Riley quickly ran to protect Barrett. The Viper glared at the four Superstars. He almost smirked as another plan came to his mind.

He slowly eased his glare and sighed as he ran his fingers through his short brunette hair. "Sorry about that, Barrett. You know I have anger issues," he apologized.

That made the four wrestlers blink in shock. Slater even wiped his eyes to see if the Viper's apology was real.

The older man almost rolled his eyes at his idiocy, but he had to make his apology look sincere. The four men huddled together like they were a football team and then Barrett answered warily, "It's alright, Orton. Just...make sure it doesn't happen again."

"That's a relief. By the way, do you guys know where Raea is? She didn't show up with you guys, did she?" He knew perfectly well where she was, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

"Yeah, we—" Riley started, but Gabriel stomped on his foot. "Ow! Really?"

"Actually, we don't. We haven't seen her since Friday," Slater answered.

"Really? Do you mind if I talk to A-Ry alone?" the Viper asked.

Slater and Gabriel looked over at Barrett with nervous looks on their faces, but the Brit ignored them and said to him, "Alright." Before he let Riley go, he whispered something in the Varsity Villain's ear. The Viper had an idea of what Barrett told Riley, but the older man almost laughed since Barrett didn't know what he knew.

Riley just nodded at everything Barrett was whispering in his ear. As soon as the Englishman moved away, The Miz's former rookie walked toward the Viper.

"Don't worry, Barrett. He'll come back in one piece," the Viper stated. The two men then left the room, closing the door behind them. They then walked toward the Viper's locker room. As soon as they got there, the Viper opened the door and allowed Riley to enter first. The Viper then entered and glanced to the left and then to the right a few times, making sure no one followed them. After that, he closed the door and asked the younger man, "Do they suspect you at all?"

Riley shook his head. "They don't, sir. They trust me with everything. The Legend Killer even trusted me enough to make me her third-in-command," Riley stated.

The Viper smirked. "Excellent."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, but, was this really necessary? I mean, if you were planning on going after the Corre when the war ended, why did you need me?"

"She wouldn't leave a trace. I know her too well for her own good. That's why I asked you to do this for me after putting away the McMahons and Triple H. I knew you were the right choice for this before I did what I did."

"I understand."

There was a silence between the two men for a few minutes. Then, the Viper asked, "Are they looking for her?"

"No. They figured that she spent the night at one of her hiding places. They guessed that she would be coming back by five in the morning."

"Why did Gabriel stomp on your foot when I asked about her whereabouts?"

"Because none of them want me to tell you where they think she is. I have a question of my own for you, Majesty."

The Viper nodded as he picked out what clothes to put on after his shower.

"Does she know about me?"

"...No, and it's going to stay that way. Is that understood?"

Riley didn't answer.

The Viper turned around and put his face a few inches away from Riley's when he didn't answer, causing the younger man to look directly into the Viper's snake eyes that flashed every single time the older man was angered.

"Yes, sir," Riley stated submissively. He didn't want to piss him off. The Viper was already pissed about Barrett interfering in his match.

The Viper looked down at Riley as his eyes returned to his normal blue-gray for a few minutes before he turned back to his bag and started picking out clothes again. "After you calm down, head back to Barrett's locker room."

"Y-yes, sir." It took a while for the younger man to calm down. The Viper was sitting down on the bench when he finally did calm down, looking at his boots.

Just before he opened the door, Riley heard, "And Riley?"

"Sir?" Riley answered without turning around.

"If I hear about any of the members of the Corre finding you out, I'll punt you in the skull and then send you to the fourth level. Got it?"

Riley shivered at the warning. Even though that was the usual threat the Viper gave him, it seemed to become more and more of a threat than a warning. "Is that a threat, sir?" he asked. He knew he would be beating himself up for that question later, but he was honestly curious.

The Viper's head shot up. "It _is _a threat. And, if you think I'm bluffing, try me," he answered coldly. He watched as Riley quickly opened the door and shut it behind him. As soon as he heard his footsteps retreating toward the Corre locker room, the Viper untied his boots, pulled them off, pulled his socks, trunks, underwear, and kneepads off, and ripped the tape off his wrists. He then walked over to the shower, turned on the water, and let the hot water soak his body and thought about his plans from the past few months.

Overthrow the McMahons? Done. Take control TNA? Done. Capture the leader of the Corre? Again, done. Erase the Corre? That was in progress. Find Azrael? Done. Change her mind about him, the Viper? That plan was going to begin after the show. He smirked at the thought as he finished his shower and put on a black t-shirt and jeans. Then he put his robe on and pulled his hood up over his head.

Just then, he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he sighed, annoyed that someone would interrupt his alone time. The door opened and he saw Cena standing there, his back turned as he closed the door again. "What the hell are you doing back here? I thought I told you to stay next to her except when you either have a match or a segment or have to go use the restroom."

"I know that, Majesty, but she wanted to go back to her cell after your match," Cena stated.

That peaked his interest. "What was her reaction?"

"She was surprised to see you, but she then was happy because you were there."

"What about during my match?"

"She was pounding her fists like you were when you get ready to do your finisher, but she didn't realize she was doing it."

"Anything else?"

"She clenched her fists when she saw Otunga on the 'Tron."

"What do you expect? The bastard attacked her," he snarled, remembering the events of that morning.

"Speaking of Otunga, what did you do to him?"

The Viper smirked. "That's for me and Foley to know and for you to find out when I want you and everyone else to find out, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, go back to guarding her cell. If she asks about where I am, lie through your teeth. Make it believable. Is that clear?"

"Clear as crystal."

"Good."

Cena then left him alone with his thoughts again. The Viper's anger with Barrett returned, causing his smirk to vanish, and he started seeing red again. He closed his eyes and pictured her face, how she looked tonight. He smiled genuinely. He then opened his eyes again and caught his reflection in the mirror.

In the wrestling business, they say a lot can happen in a year. Well, that statement rang true as the Viper stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had been 29 years old when he first took control of WWE, 30 when he won the war against TNA, and now, here he was, 31 years old, the most feared man in the world. The only downside: his anger issues.

No one could calm him down when he got into one of his fits. At least, that's what he thought until tonight, when he looked right into the warm blue eyes of The Corre's leader, Azrael Victoria. She seemed to be the only one who could quiet the rage that caused The Viper to see red. He shook himself.

_She's not the only one that matters. She _is _part of the plan, but that doesn't mean you have to think about her all the time. You have a country to run, _he thought to himself. _She's a plus side to the plan._

He then opened the passageway to his throne room and left his locker room for the night. He sat back down on his throne and watched the rest of the show on the specially designed television, but she slithered into his mind again. He growled. His thoughts traveled to how she would see him again before Friday night. A plan formed in his mind. He then hit a button on his throne.


End file.
